Summer Lovin'
by thehugbandit
Summary: When Mac's mom gets engaged to long time boyfriend, Frank, things seem awesome. More than awesome. AMAZING! Except for one thing: right before the wedding, Frank takes a job in Georgia and ruins everything. Now Mac is forced to move away from Bloo and the friends and is only allowed to see them over the summer. But there's a catch: Terrence has to come with him. What could go wrong
1. Prologue

Prologue:

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" Goo was like lightning, rapidly flying around the room like a loose cannon as she squealed. She quickly weaved in and out of clusters of friends, letting her voice soar and dive with excitement. As she dashed about, her rainbow of colors blurred into one giant gray blob. Mac shook his head, trying his best to look disinterested with no luck. As he watched his lanky friend bounce around, he couldn't help but crack a faint smile.

"Goo, come on! Cut it out!" He chuckled, and for a half a second she froze. Unfortunately, her body couldn't contain her joy and she started shaking again, her grin spreading flawlessly from one ear to the other.

"Awe, man." Bloo complained. He was barely able to peel himself from the floor as he collapsed in front of Mac. "This is the worst thing evvvvvvvvvveeeerrrrr!'

"Bloo, cut it out." Mac warned crossing his arms firmly over his chest. Bloo's eyes grew large with despair. Tears brimmed, his lip quivered, his hand trembled as he reached out and grabbed the hem of Mac's favorite red shirt.

"But Maacccc," he whined, Mac shrugged away. He dropped his head. "Mac, how am I supposed to be awesome without you? I mean, you could use a lot of work, but you created me so you're at least a little awesome. And without me, who's going to teach you how to paddle ball? Who's going to make sure you're not a nerd?"

"Stop being so dramatic." He said side-stepping his friend. Bloo flopped onto his face and refused to move. Mac stared back at the big house with lots of rooms. Bloo wallowed in self-pity. Mac took seconds to memorize the colors of the walls, the gloss of the marble floors, the musk of creativity. Bloo wailed on and on about only being half as awesome without Mac. Mac did what he did best and ignored his best friend. After all, he was only going to be gone for a few days.

"Mac, honey." Madam Foster's shaky voice caught him off guard. He spun on the balls of his feet and glanced down at her misleadingly small frame. "Your mother is here."

Ordinarily, this would be great news. She had calmed down once she started dating Frank and was even cool with visiting Bloo on occasion, though she didn't fully understand the significance of having an imaginary friend. But Madam Foster's tone was somber. And her wrinkled face showed traces of uncertainty. Try as he might, he couldn't find any sign of wonder or hope on her. And when the woman he'd learned to love and look up to couldn't meet his gaze, something inside of him broke. Mac's heart skipped a beat, and Goo? She stopped dead in her tracks and froze completely in place.

"Mrs. Mac's Mom, uh, Tracey, was it?" Frankie sounded totally freaked as she followed a tall slender woman into Foster's main hall. The woman bore a strong resemblance to Mac. Same brown hair, same blue eyes. However, as she stood, strict and bold, the resemblance faded. And Frankie sighed. "Listen, what you're suggesting will tear Mac apart." Frankie tried. "Is there any other way? Surely there must be something-"

"Frankie, you've been a great friend," the woman stated honestly. Mac's stomach twisted into knots. He recognized the tone. It was the same tone she used when she explained to him his father wasn't coming back. Not ever. "But I'm afraid this is the only way. Frank's business has offered him a promotion. This means no more struggling. No more living paycheck to paycheck. It'd be a huge relief."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait," Goo scrambled to the woman's side, "what are yous saying? AreyousayingwhatIthinkyou'resaying? Mac and Bloo are moving away?"

Frankie and Madam Foster shared a look. Mac's mom frowned. "Goo, honey." She tried, her voice so small. "I'm afraid our family is extending the vacation. Indefinitely."

"Indefinitely?" Goo repeated. The sound tasted weird on her tongue. She smacked her lips together a few times to try to shake it. "What do you mean? Do you mean the wedding is going to take longer, because I've waited a long time for you to get married, and if you're finallygoingtogetmarriedIwanttobethere."

"She means we're not coming back after the wedding." Mac said. He felt so numb. His body, like ice. Lead. Heavy and cold. Bloo rolled onto his back, still moaning. Still bitter. And Mac was beginning to feel that too. "I thought we were going to Georgia for a few days, Mom. I thought we were going there so Frank's family could attend the wedding too. I thought we were coming back. That was the plan, wasn't it?" She didn't move. No body did. Mac balled his hands. "Wasn't it?" He asked louder.

"Frank got the phone call today." She tried explaining. "The firm needs him to start his new position right away. We'll be living with his parents until we find a place of our own."

"When you say we, you mean me and Bloo too, right?" Mac's Mom's eyes dropped to the blubbering blob on the floor and she sighed. Mac shook his head no. "I don't believe this!" He shouted. "How could you do this to me?"

"Mac, honey, we've been through this, you're-"

"Too old for an imaginary friend." He finished. "I know."

"You can still visit." Frankie piped in. "He can stay here, at the house with us, we have plenty of room."

"Yes, dear!" Madam Foster piped in. "What a splendid idea!"

Mac unballed his fists. The idea of living in the house sounded amazing. "Can I spend my summers here?" He asked racing to Madam Foster's side. "I'll-I'll help out with chores!"

"Oh, Grandma, please!" Frankie begged. "I could really use the help."

"That's fine with me." The old woman smiled. "What about you, Funny Bunny?"

Mr. Herriman, who'd been hiding in his office with a client, peered his head out into the hall and sighed. "Fine." He muttered before disappearing again.

"Mom! Mom! Mom!" Goo bounced. "Is that okay?"

Mac's Mom looked undeniably uncomfortable, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she let the group celebrate the small victory and walked away.


	2. Summer I- Part I

**Author's notes:**

 _Hello loves! I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Just a head's up, this story is going to be really confusing. I'm not going to lie, I'm not 100% sure where I'm going with this, so please stick with me until I figure it out. The plot will, however, take place over a couple of years. So Summer I will pass by quickly, awkwardly, and most likely- very confusingly. That's not even a real word. No, wait, it is. Ha ha! Anyways, the story has multiple viewpoints. It'll be told from Mac, Goo, Terrence, and OC Helena's POV. There will be a few bumps in the road as I try to distinguish each character's unique and complex personalities, but stick by my side and I promise it'll be worth it._

 **Playlist:**

 _1\. Anthem Academy- "Good Life"_

 _2\. Isaac Solo- "Julian"_

 _3\. Valley Shine- "Sugar Dreams"_

 _4\. Two Nations- "Two Nations"_

Summer I-Part I

One Year After Mac's Move

Helena

May 28, 2006

Helena Young stared wide-eyed at the tall slender building standing boldly in front of her. The bright neon paint gave the house a whimsical feel, especially compared to the dull gray background. She inhaled slowly, gaining confidence from the warm Summer's air, and took her first step.

"This is it." She muttered to herself, and as she approached the house, a wide toothy grin slipped across her face exposing her excitement. "Quiggles, this is really it."

One foot in front of the other, she climbed the stairs. Heart hammering in her chest, nerves tickling her skin. Finally, she was at the door. Slowly, she stretched out her hand and prepared to clasp the handle. But-

"Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi! Wait, you're not Mac."

A lovely girl with wild raven hair tied up in braids and dark beady eyes nearly toppled over her. Helena laughed, taking a step back to further examine the bulldozer of a girl standing on top of her. She wore overalls and a rainbow striped baby tee and big yellow rainboots. Helena smiled.

"No, last time I checked I was Helena." She said offering her hand. "But you can call me Len."

The girl took her hand and started violently shaking it. "The name's Goo Goo Ga Ga, but people call me Goo for short because, let's face it, Goo Goo Ga Ga is a bit of a mouth full." She said quickly and almost incoherently. "Come on, say it with me. Goo Goo Ga Ga, Goo Goo Ga Ga, You sound like a baby, right? And that's exactly what it is. When I was a baby my parents let me name myself and since I was a baby I couldn't talk so I just kept saying Goo Goo Ga Ga, because that's what babies say."

"Oh, wow!" Helena chirped. "I can already tell I'm going to love you!"

"Yeah, but I won't." In a puff of gold smoke, a palm sized creature appeared on top of Helena's head. The bear, monkey, leopard mix with large rainbow eyes glared down at Goo. "You talk too much."

"Quiggles!" Helena snapped plucking the creature from her own head. "Manners!"

"Oooooh! What's that? Is that an imaginary friend? Looks neat!" Goo mused rocking back and forth on her heels.

"Back!" The creature hissed nuzzling into Helena's chest. "Get away!"

"Sorry," Helena apologized, "this is Quiggles, she doesn't take too well to strangers."

"Awe, he's a cute little guy! Are you giving him up for adoption?"

"What? Adaption?" There was no hiding the horror in her voice, Goo smiled at that. "No! Never. Quiggles and I wanted to check it out. We're new here and were looking to make some friends. We thought what better place than Foster's?" She stood on her tip-toes to whisper in Goo's ear: "I read about Foster's on the internet before I came here. It sounds awesome!"

"Well, blah! Duh Foster's is great! It's like the greatest place in the universe! No, bigger and better than that! Come on, I'll show you around."

Without waiting for a response, Goo turned on the balls of her feet and marched off into the house. Helena gazed down at Quiggles and shrugged, then quickly followed.

"Oh, Goo! Who do you have here?" Greeted an older redheaded woman with a kind smile. "Is she looking to adopt?"

"Nononononono! This is Helena, Len for short. She's here to hang out."

"Hang out?" The woman asked confused. She shifted the laundry basket from one hip to another and sighed. "Is she your friend from school? Because you know how-"

"Miss Francis!" Boomed an annoyed aged voice. The woman grumbled something bitterly under her breath and forced a happy face as a giant bunny in a top hat came bouncing into view. "Who is this?"

"This is Helena." The woman, Francis, explained. "She's Goo's friend."

"A friend?" The bunny scoffed. It was the first time since Len met her that Goo was actually still. "There will be no friends or hanging out here! This is a respected home. A business. And unless she is here to work or adopt, I will have to kindly ask her to leave."

"But, but, but, but she is here to work!" Goo jumped in. Len attempted to mask her shock, Goo elbowed her in the side. "She is! I promise! I was talking to her at school and told her how awesome Foster's was and she wanted to help! Len is, like, super-duper good at talking to people and, like, knows how to talk to friends who are depressed and make them feel better."

"You mean like a counselor?" Francis asked raising a red brow. Len was surprised she could follow along so quickly.

"Yes, exactly!" Goo finished. "Like a counselor. I think it's about time we get one of those because of you-know-who. Friends need a friend to listen! Am I right?"

The bunny's face didn't crack. It just remained as still and stern as it had when he entered. Everyone watched him carefully wondering what he would say next.

"Very well." His monotone voice hinted at happy as he crossed his hands behind his back. "But we offer no pay for your position. Only intern hours. Do you know what that is?"

"Yes, sir." Len said softly. "It's like volunteering."

"Exactly." If Len didn't know any better, she would have sworn the bunny was smiling from underneath his moustache. "Smart girl." He said to Francis. "Now, finish your chores. You have more work to do."

Goo waited until after the bunny had hopped away before breathing. Francis shook her head after him letting out another heavy sigh.

"That's Mr. Herriman." She explained kindly. "He's your new boss. He's a little too uptight for his own good, but means well. I'm Francis Foster, or Frankie, Madam Foster's granddaughter. She's who owns this place. You'll meet her later. And you already met Goo, I see, though I don't exactly think you met her at school."

"Saw right through that, huh?" Len laughed. "No, I'm new in town. I found Foster's online and needed to see it for myself. Back where I'm from, friends are frowned upon. I was excited to find a place like this and needed to see it for myself."

"Where are you from?" Frankie asked giving up on juggling the load of laundry and setting it down.

"Traveler's Rest, South Carolina." She replied.

"Oh! Sounds Western-y!" Goo chimed.

"It's pretty neat." Len smiled. "A lot different than here."

"I bet." Frankie sighed. "Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I've gotta run. This laundry isn't going to do itself. Goo, will you show Helena around?"

"Can you do it? I'm waiting for Mac and I've already wasted a lot of time. Like, a lot a lot a lot."

Frankie rolled her eyes and shook her head. "No, Goo. I'm putting my foot down on this one. You show her around. Besides, Mac won't be here for at least another hour. His flight hasn't even landed yet."

"Yeah, like, blah! Of course I know that, but but but but! I want to be the first person he sees when he gets here."

"Who's that? Your boyfriend?" Len joked, Goo froze.

"Might as well be." Frankie said heaving the load of laundry back up. "She's been obsessed with the kid practically since they met."

"No way!" Goo blushed. "No way! No way! No way!"

"Well, I'm leaving." Frankie said slipping up the stairs. Goo rubbed her hands over her face and groaned.

"Fine! Real quick tour, then I'm leaving too. Come on."

Goo grabbed Len tightly by the wrist and yanked her around. Up the thousand of flights of stairs and back down. In and out of every room, through every door, and every balcony. Len's head was spinning trying to make an imaginary map of the place in her head, and a list of every friend she met along the way. Big friends, small friends, and every friend in between. There were so many! Too many to keep up with. But she was happy. This day had gone better than she had hoped. Not only did she get to spend time with the friends, but she would actually get to help them work through their problems! It was every twelve-year-old's dream.

"Okay, okay, okay." Goo chirped. "I've gotta go, so bye!"

Making one of her famous getaways, Goo descended down the stairs without giving Len a chance to say goodbye. Len grinned and shook her head taking another second to glance over the massive house.

"What a day." She mused to herself. "What. A. Day." She paused. "Quiggles!" Len called. There was no answer. "Quiggles! Come on, don't play me like that."

Again, no answer. Len puffed out steam and lowered herself onto the stairs. Quiggles had a nasty habit of disappearing and reappearing whenever he pleased. He was adventurous, bold, and a little bit belligerent. It wasn't unlike him to wander off without saying anything, but was still incredibly annoying. Len wasn't sure if she should run back home and wait for Quiggles to meet her there, or stay. It was Sunday, and she still had one week left of school before vacation, so going home would probably be smart. She nodded to herself and threw back her head dramatically. Letting out another heavy breath, Len pulled herself off the stairs and started the much-too-long journey to the front door.

She was almost at the foot of the stairs when she heard a loud scream. A dash of blue went zipping by her accompanied by another loud scream.

"MAC!" She was barely able to make out the name she'd hear too many times since she arrived. Glancing towards the door, she was able to make out Goo's lanky silhouette standing happily by a short figure. A boy, no older than ten, with a big head and a backpack. Len paused and let her eyes find the source of the blue blob. A friend that looked remarkably like a ghost from Pac-Man. She vaguely remembered meeting this friend, a mopey character named…Bloo?

"Mac, Mac, Mac, Mac, Mac," Goo gabbed, "I'm so happy to see you! It's been forever."

"Too long." He agreed staring up at her. "But, uh, Goo, I have to tell you something."

"No, me first!" She cut in. "Foster's has a new employee! I hired a girl. She's younger than me, but not as young as you. She seems nice. I met her today. She'll be a counselor so Bloo won't be so sad when you leave. Smart, right? Huh?"

"Goo…" Mac tried.

"I know! I'm so smart. What did Foster's do without me? It's kind of fun to think about, isn't it? How Foster's was without me? What do you think? Huh?"

"Goo, I-"

"Oh, that's right! You wanted to say something. Go ahead, spit it out, I'm waiting!"

"Out of my way, twerp." An angry boy with braces shoved Bloo and Mac out of the way like a bulldozer. He was wearing a plain black shirt with a flannel over top and carried a big over-stuffed suitcase. "Where's the bunny? He's got to give me a room. I'm bored. Where's a TV?"

"Terrence is here." Mac finished bitterly.

Goo's jaw nearly hit the floor, obviously she wasn't happy. Mac just stared at the ground.

"Terrence is here?" Bloo whined. "Oh, man. Why is Terrence here? This is going to be awful!"

"Mom wouldn't let me come without him. She wants him to keep an eye on me. If anything goes wrong this summer, I won't be allowed to come back. Ever."

Goo and Bloo both gasped. Len tilted her head curiously off to one side. This whole scene seemed so odd to her. She tried putting the pieces together. This boy seemed important. Well known and well liked. The older boy, maybe fifteen years old, seemed extremely disliked. They were on a plane. Just arrived. And were spending the summer here. More of Madam Foster's grandchildren?

"They used to live here." Quiggles explained popping in again.

"There you are!" Len said scratching Quiggles behind the ear. "Where were you?"

"Not important." He spat. "However, I did figure a few things out. You see those boys? The little one has a friend here named Bloo. The blue guy there. A couple of years ago he made a deal with Madam Foster that he would visit Bloo every day. As long as he did, Bloo would be off limits in adoption. However, last summer Mac's mother moved to Georgia and took Mac with her. A new deal was made. He would live here over the summer to see his friend Bloo and if he ever missed a summer, Bloo would be adopted."

"That's pretty cool." Len said with a smile. "It would be pretty neat to live here, huh?"

"I guess. There's a lot of friends here. I like it."

"I do too. This is gonna be good."


	3. Summer I- Part II

**Author's Notes:**

Hey guys, thanks for sticking around. So...Quiggles is a boy. Sorry about the typo and any other typos you may encounter. Please enjoy this epic long chapter. It's suppppper long.

 **Songs:**

 _1\. Derrival- "Canvas"_

 _2\. Indolore- "Go"_

 _3\. Wolfside- "Dare You"_

 _4\. Timo Brandt- "Favour"_

 **The Story:**

Summer I- Part II

Helena

June 2, 2006

"Where did you find fake glasses?" Quiggles whispered into Helena's ear. She waved him away with the back of her hand, trying hard to maintain a positive smile as Gigi cried about her kid giving her up for adoption after six beautiful years together. Len had managed to steadily sit through three of these appointments without totally losing her mind, but she'd be lying if she said she didn't tire of hearing dark depressing stories every day. She needed to find a way to space out counseling the friends. Maybe do three sessions a day? Yeah, three was enough.

"Len, are you listening?" Gigi asked sniffling her little pink cat nose.

"Oh, of course, sweetie!" Len coaxed her voice in concern. "Lydia was your everything. She loved you unconditionally and the times you had together were truly amazing." Len paused, noting Gigi's giant water eyes and frowned. "You served her well." She continued much softer. "You were there for her in her darkest hours, when her parents split up. And she helped you gain confidence. Nothing can change that. But you know what's exciting?" Gigi shook her head no. "You get to help a lucky kid grow up all over again! And you will continue being a bright light for the rest of your life."

"Really?" Gigi asked. Len nodded stealing a peek at the clock. How was it already dinner time? "Thank you, Dr. Len! Thank you so much!"

Before Len could completely comprehend what was happening, Gigi's little angel wings had enveloped her in a tight feathery hug. Len hugged Gigi's much-too-small pink bear body back and smiled, dismissing the friend from her janitor-closet-turned-office.

"Nice save." Quiggles said popping up in a haze of gold smoke.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Len grinned lifting herself from her seat.

"Please, I'm invisible not blind." Quiggles said gliding to her side. He cast his eyes to her notebook dully laying on her desk and smirked. "Doodles?"

"They're notes!" The girl cried quickly flipping them over. "Anyways, tell me about your day. Did you mingle?"

"Of course I did, I need to blend in if I'm going to pull this off."

"Tell me about it." She laughed. "You're not exactly-"

"The best at blending in?"

"Yeah, you kind of stick out like a sore thumb. You know, when you decide to actually appear." She said heading to the door. Quiggles hitched a ride on her shoulder.

"I like being invisible." He said boldly. "I like watching people."

"You mean spying."

"Same thing."

"Hardly!"

"Anyways," he snapped, "I managed to find the perfect group of morons."

"You mean friends?"

"Same thing."

"Again, no!" She laughed reaching for the door. "Who are they?"

"A scared monster named Edwardo, a broken basketball player named Wilt, a plane-bird-thing named Coco, and Bloo."

"Oh." Len's voice fell flat of any emotion as she flung open the door and stepped out. Quiggles looked at her confused.

"What? What is it?"

"Nothing." She lied. He wasn't buying it. Quiggles flapped his wings, picked up speed, and hovered inches away from the girl's tiny heart shaped face.

"What do you know?" He demanded, keeping his voice just below a whisper.

"Nothing!" She lied again, this time side-stepping him. "I mean, I don't think I know anything. It's hard to explain, really."

"Len, you're not making any sense." Quiggles was clearly annoyed, but Len ignored him making her way to the kitchen. Quiggles followed closely behind, determined to get an answer from her. "You're not going soft, are you?"

"Soft?" If she could laugh, she would. But she was far too focused on trying not to get lost in the labyrinth to belt out a chuckle. "Have you met me, Quiggles? I was born soft. You can't get much softer than me. Besides, I really do like it here. I think this will be good for us. So, you know, just have fun. These are good people."

"Who's good people?"

Len nearly toppled over the mop-headed boy in red. "Mac!" She screamed digging her heels into the carpet. He lifted a brow. "I, uh, hi?"

"Hi, as in a question?" He smiled. "Hi back?"

"I'm Helena." She said quickly sticking out her hand. Quiggles dissolved into smoke, vanishing from sight before his careless creator could introduce him. Or worse, rat him out. Mac waited. "Sorry, I guess we haven't officially met yet."

"Yeah, I've seen you around, though." Mac noted politely. "You have a friend too, right? Quiggles?"

"You've heard of him?"

"Hard not to. Everyone's talking about how stoic he is."

"That's Quiggles. Here one minute, gone the next." Len said glaring at the air. Mac cleared his throat.

"Yeah. Well, at least your best friend isn't a jerk."

"Oh no! Don't tell me-"

"Bloo?" Mac cut in with a slick smile. "He has his moments, but he's a good guy."

"You should know, you created him."

There was a long and painfully awkward pause. The kids just sat there, smiling at each other with big goofy grins that nearly took up their entire faces. After a beat, Helena stirred.

"Well, if you don't mind, I'm hungry. I think I'll make myself a sandwich."

"Jackie makes the best sandwiches!" Mac said quickly. He froze, eyes widened as if he'd just said something stupid, then snapped his head in the opposite direction.

"Dully noted." Len laughed. "Thanks, Mac. It was a real pleasure getting to meet you, finally."

"Yeah, uh, yeah. You too." He blushed.

Len took one look over her shoulder at him, shook her head, then disappeared down the stairs.

Mac

June 3, 2016

Mac stared at the pale purple door on the opposite side of the room, waiting for it to open. Hidden away inside was the most beautiful girl he'd ever laid eyes on. Helena young. Her skin was as smooth as silk, tanned evenly from the sun. Her hair, bleached nearly white. Freckles scattered across her face like splattered paint. And smile, wow! It was perfected. Sweet. Innocent. And two gentle dimples pinched her cheeks. Her calm brown eyes weren't something he could easily shake. He hadn't felt this way since, since…

"Frrrrankiieee!" Bloo screeched. "What is _this_?"

"Um, a paddle ball toy?" She replied, annoyed.

"No, it's broken!" Bloo snapped. "See?"

Mac didn't have to look to know that Bloo was miserably failing at paddle ball. It was sad, though. In almost an amusing way, how awful he was at the one thing he loved most in the world. Mac simply rolled his eyes and slumped deeper into the couch, still waiting for the door to open.

To be completely honest, Mac wasn't quite sure what he was waiting for. He didn't know what he'd do once the door opened. He just knew he wanted to be there when she came out. He knew it was stupid. He only had one almost full conversation with the girl, but her voice was like velvet. Comforting and soft. She wasn't like Goo, overly excited and hyper. And she wasn't like Frankie. Sarcastic and kind. She was like sugar. Pure sweetness.

"Maaaaaaac! Frankie isn't helping!" Bloo complained flopping down in his lap.

"I don't know how I could help!" Frankie growled. "The stupid thing isn't even broken!"

"Then why isn't it working?" Bloo snapped.

"Because you suck at the game!" Frankie shouted back. "Mac, please explain to Bloo that-" She stopped, realizing he wasn't listening, and grinned. "Oh, is someone waiting for the new girl?"

"What?" Mac was only half-listening. But Frankie was quick to close the gap between them. Pretty soon, she was sitting on the seat next to him, staring at the door with him.

"Why don't you go knock on the door and talk to her?" She suggested. "Girls love a guy that makes the first move."

"What?" Mac repeated, finally registering her words. He violently shook his head no. "What! No! What if she's with someone? You know, helping them. Like counselors do."

"Oh, puh-lease." Bloo said waving that thought away with his hand. "Come on, counselors don't actually do anything. They just sit around with their fancy glasses and pretend to listen to other people's problems. Anyone could do it. Now can we please talk about something important? Like this paddle ball and how it's BROKEN!"

"Mac, don't listen to him." Frankie said placing a hand on the shy boy's shoulder. "Take it from me, an actual girl who has actually gone to a legitimate counseling session, we don't always want to make the first move. We like the guy to show his interest in us first. You know, so we don't get rejected."

"Is that…is that true?" There was no masking his nerves. Frankie nodded.

"Of course it's true. Would I lie to you?"

"Well, you lied about this paddle ball!" Bloo shouted. "LIAR!"

"Bloo, not now." Frankie sighed pinching her index finger and thumb to the bridge of her nose. "Talk to her. She's really nice, I promise."

"Or she's completely evil!" Bloo collapsed into Mac's lap and stared him down. "What if she's a vampire? You've seen how pale she is!"

"Bloo, don't be ridiculous. Len is, like, always in the sun." Frankie tried, but her patience was wearing incredibly thin.

"Maybe she's a daywalker." He shrugged. "It's all part of her evil plan."

"Len doesn't have an evil plan." Mac finally spoke. This much he was certain of. There was no way Len was evil. She was helping friends. Gigi and Marco spoke very highly of her and they both seemed much happier after sessions with her. Would someone evil mislead a friend like that?

"What if that's what she wants you to think?"

"She's not evil." Frankie had had enough. She brought herself back to her feet and gently dusted off her skirt. "Talk to her, Mac. She's really nice."

"Evil!" Bloo screamed after her. "Evvvviiiiil!"

"Who's evil?"

Mac froze at the sound of Len's voice. His heart hiccupped inside of his chest. Bloo leaned in and whispered into his ear, "See, only a vampire would be that quiet. Evil!"

"Knock it off, Bloo!" Mac shrieked shoving his friend. He glanced bashfully up at Len and gave her a sheepish wave. "Sorry," he apologized softly, "we were just being silly."

"Boys will be boys." Len shrugged. "So, do my little eyes deceive me or is that a paddle ball in your hand, Bloo?"

"Yeah, BUT IT'S BROKEN!"

"Let me see that, it just so happens I'm an expert paddle ball fixer." Len winked at Mac, who in turn smiled. Bloo groaned and tossed the toy to the girl and frowned.

"Let's see how you do, neeeeew girl."

Len carefully looked over the paddle ball toy and sighed heavily. "Oh, dear. It's worse than I thought." She hummed. Bloo snapped his head back to her. His jaw dropped.

"Wha-wha-" He stammered, then cut his gaze back to Mac. "See! See, I told you it was broken!"

Mac looked at Len confused. She winked back at him and handed the toy back to Bloo. "Here's what you've got to do to work with the defect." Len explained grabbing his wrist. "Hold your hand like this." She said. "Then draw it back and punch it."

Bloo did as he was instructed, and lo and behold, it actually worked. The tiny red ball hit the paddle again and again. Bloo's eyes sparkled with a glow of joy he'd never had before. He slid across the floor, teeth showing from how bright his smile was as he cooed and gasped with pure untainted happiness.

"I've got to show the others! I was right! I was right!" Bloo said galloping out of the hall. After he was gone, Len took a seat next to Mac.

"How'd you do that? Bloo never listens to anyone." Mac asked, clearly amazed. Len shrugged.

"Everyone likes being right. To deal with people like Bloo, you have to let them believe they're right while silently manipulating them."

"You're a genius!" Mac cooed. Len laughed.

"Nah, I just like people." She paused, cocked her head off to one side, and gaped after Mac. "So what're you doing? Were you waiting for me?"

"What? ME? No. No…" Len cupped her hands over her mouth, stifling a laugh. Mac sighed. "That obvious?"

"I could hear you inside my 'office'." She chuckled.

"Wow, you must think I'm so lame." The boy slumped his hea between his shoulders. He puffed out steam, defeated. Len reached for his hand and curved her fingers into his palm.

"I think you're sweet to be so curious about me. I'd be interested too, if I were you."

"You would?"

"Of course! New in your turf? Must be pretty weird. Maybe not Goo level weird, but still weird."

Mac's eyes lit up when he talked to Len. She was easy for him to feel comfortable with, something about her was just simple. He never felt stupid or unimportant when he was with her, and though he just met her, he'd felt like he'd known her for a long time.

"Come on, why don't you give me another tour of this place." The girl suggested after a beat. "We can walk and talk, you can ask me anything you'd like, and we could get to know each other. I'm a tad bit short on friends here, and you seem like a good person."

"You-you mean it?" Mac asked. Len nodded.

"Of course, say what you mean and mean what you say."

Mac nodded back, rose to his feet, and expanded his arms. "This way." He instructed. Len giggled and shook her head no.

"After you." She hummed. Mac's heart fluttered to life. Was this what having a crush felt like?

Goo

June 6, 2006

Goo was getting jealous, a feeling she hated to feel. Everywhere she turned, there was Len. Len with friends, laughing. Len with Frankie, helping. Len with Mac, listening. These were all things that Goo did. Goo was supposed to be Foster's favorite human, not Len! And, if it wasn't for Goo, Len wouldn't even be here! And you know what, Len wasn't even grateful! She didn't understand. She didn't understand anything or anyone. Not the way Goo did.

So after a while, Goo decided to confront Len about all the time she was spending with everyone, especially Mac. Not that she was in love with Mac or anything, she just had some thoughts on the matter.

"You've sure been spending a lot, a lot, a lot of time with Mac." Goo couldn't help the pinch of jealousy in the pit of her stomach. She tried very hard to conceal it with a polite smile and a genuine laugh, but she could feel how thin her disguise was. Len shrugged her shoulders, and fixed her sloppy blond hair into a messy bun on top of her head.

"I guess." She said gazing at the bookshelf. She bit her thumb and shook her head, not quite sure where she should start. Goo tapped her foot impatiently, waiting.

"What do you guys do when you're together?" She inquired, her head already dizzy with a thousand fun things. Each passing second fueling her more with a mad mix of feelings she didn't want to feel. Her vision blurred, head spun, energy bounced.

"We mostly just talk." Len said simply. "I'm actually pretty boring when you get down to it. Mac has a lot to talk about, though."

"Like what?" Goo's voice was rattled with anger. She wanted to yell, and scream, and shout. What could this girl possibly know about Mac that she didn't already know?

"It's private." Len said climbing up the bookshelf. The case wobbled, threatening to toss the tiny determined girl off at any given moment, but she showed no fear. Goo swayed her hips from side to side and tugged on a single braid. The truth was, Mac had been here for over a week and opted to spend all of his time, for whatever reason, with the new girl. Goo had spent her entire school year planning fun ideas and things for the two of them to do over the summer. She'd talked to Bloo, who was a downright downer, and spent hours trying to convince the poor little blue guy that his beloved creator was coming back. Did Len do that? No! Heck no. She wasn't even here. She didn't know how important Mac was. How could she? How could she.

"Hey! I found it!" Len chirped excitedly. "Finally! This is the greatest news in the history of great news! Just wait until Quiggles sees this! He's going to flip out. This is life changing."

"What's life changing?" Goo was only vaguely interested. Her mind was still fixed tightly on Mac. Len didn't answer. Instead, she shimmied back down the shelf and hugged her book to her chest.

"This book is everything." Len smiled. "I'm so happy."

"Uh huh, uh huh, uh huh." Goo wheezed waving her hand around in circles. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Tell me about Mac."

"Goo, are you jealous?" Len's voice was just as sweet as ever. Goo wanted to puke. She narrowed her eyes and remembered everything her parents had ever about politeness and resisted the urge to vomit everywhere. "Because honestly, you have nothing to worry about. Mac is a nice boy, but that's just it. He's a boy. As in he's just getting out of elementary school. I'm not interested in anything other than friendship with him. In a couple of months, I'll be thirteen. He'll be eleven. You'll be fourteen. Age doesn't matter to you and that's what's beautiful about you, but it means everything to me. I don't love him like you do."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa. Who said anything about love?"

"I'm pretty sure you wear your emotions on your sleeves, but don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

Terrence

June 9, 2006

The ceiling was starting to get boring. And the internet was slow. It was easy to say that depression had hit. It hit hard. This was it. This was the city his dad had abandoned him in, right before he could teach him how to read. This is where he struggled. Struggled with reading while his mom took on two or three jobs to provide. This is where he was forgotten when his genius brother was born. This is where he was told to be the man of the house. And to look after his brother while his mom was away. This is where his jealous grew. Where his anger stirred. Where everyone picked on him. Where he picked on everyone because he was stupid and thought only with his fists. He had nothing. He was nothing. Just empty, just blue. Just numb.

It was well past noon before Terrence decided to creep out of his room. He fished into his pocket for his flip phone with no luck. No texts, no missed calls, not even a signal. He frowned. Some friends he had! He wasn't even gone a full year and they'd forgotten about him, but did he honestly expect anything less?

"Move it, nerd!" Terrence growled at an unknown cat friend standing in the middle of the hall. The bitter boy balled his hands into tight fists, the friend flipped his ears back and let his eyes grow large. Terrence cracked his knuckles. "I SAID MOVE!"

"Jamison doesn't respond well to yelling." Came a velvety voice. Terrence froze. "He won't move if you threaten him." Footsteps echoed down the hall. "Isn't that right, Jamie?"

The quivering cat gave a dull nod unable to do much else. Terrence pivoted slightly, coming face to face with a small girl with large brown eyes and a pair of much too big glasses on the tip of her nose. She looked tired, but hid it well with a simple smile.

"I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting," the girl continued sticking out her hand, "I'm Helena, but people call me Len. You must be Terrence."

When Terrence didn't accept her hand, she curled her fingers back into her palms and dropped her arm back by her side.

"How do YOU know who I AM?" He thundered. She didn't even flinch.

"As the house's new counselor, it's kind of my job to know." She explained politely.

"You look too young to be a counselor." He growled, her grin expanded.

"You've got me there." She laughed. "I'm only twelve, but what are you, fifteen? Sixteen?"

"Fifteen." He muttered.

"Right, fifteen." She repeated. "Just because we're young doesn't mean we're not well equipped to handle adult situations."

"Meaning?" Terrence wasn't following. Len reach out and touched his still clenched fist and forced it down.

"Meaning that we each have special gifts that adults don't always understand. Like you," Len paused sizing the sloppy boy decked out in dirty pjs up, "you seem to be a very, uh, passionate person." She smiled wider. "I'm sure you've had to deal with a lot in your life and no one ever thinks about your feelings."

"Huh?"

"I just mean you take a lot of heat from adults so that no one else does. That's a true gift to take people beating on you and not lash out."

"But I do lash out." Terrence admitted. What was happening to him? Was he actually admitting that bullying was a problem? "I lash out a lot."

"Then that means you're self aware." Len noted. "You can change."

"Change?" Terrence had never thought about that. He just always assumed he'd be a bully for the rest of his life. And then die. Everyone had their place in society and that was his. A bully.

"Anyways, it was nice chatting with you, Terrence. Jamie and I have a session we're late for. If you need anything, you know where to find me."

She waved him goodbye then vanished behind her purple door. Terrence felt something he didn't expect. He felt accepted.


End file.
